Method of sealing metal cans.



C. E. ROGERS.

METHOD OF SEALING METAL CANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3,1912.

LOYORQSE' Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

-L CHARLES E. ROGERS, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

METHOD SEALIliIG METAL CANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June s, 1912. Serial No. 701.174.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Guan ne E. Romans, a citizen of the United States, residingat Detroit, county of WVayne, Stateof Michigen, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Scaling Metal Cans, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and-exact description ofthe same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to ordinarily in use for this purpose the opening in the can end, through which the material to be-preserved is introduced, is either formed 1) .a punch which displaces the material an leaves it projecting inpo the interior of the can, or by cutting out a portion 4 at the center of the can end.

' In sealing cans having a filling aperture formed in thefirst mentioned manner, the

aperture is closed by a drop of solder and the soldering operation is usually performed even for a brief period of time, the air in the can expands and blows the solder from the aperture, or, if the can top be heated prior to the soldering operation in a manner to exhaust the air from the can, the atmospheric pressure may force a part or all of the solder into the can.

If the filling aperture be formed by the .place and the vent then closed by av drop of solder and the same difiiculty arises in this method as is described in the first mentioned method. This difficulty hasheretofore been a serious obstacle to arapid, continuous and of this invention is a method of sealin cans in which the above mentioned difiicu ty is obviated. The can with which this method may be conveniently used is formed with a that if forced automatic sealing of the cans, and an object filling aperture having the projections, produced by displacin the material to form the aperture, extending outwardly from the can body whereby they are in a position to be forced back into the aperture and then soldered in place.v As hereinafter shown such method of sealing the can effectually overcomes the above mentioned difliculty and the labor involved in inspecting the cans after passing from the soldering apparatus and the sealing by hand of such as arenot properly sealed thereby is reduced to a minimum. These and further objects and novelties of the invention are' hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in \\-'hich- Figure 1 is a sectionalview'of a can having a fillin aperture formed by dis lacing the materia to project exteriorly of tlie can. Fig. 2 is (diagrammatic'view illustrative of a method and means by which the material has been forced iuto-position-m-the aperture. I I

Similar characters refer to similar-parts throughout the drawings and specification. In the can herein shown the top is u'ched, prior to its being secured to the y, in such manner as to leave the displaced materisl projecting exteriorly of the can when assembled with the body and therefore u that side of the top opposite the flange rmed thereon as shown in Fig. 1. These openings vary in size for. difiere'nt purposes, in some instances being less than an eighth of aninch' in diameter, and, as indicated in Fig.1, the displacedmetal tends to roll back away from the opening and the displacement oi the material in this manne therefore, does not inuny Way interfere wit the insertion of the filling tube into the opening in the usual way. The punch usu-all used vin forming such openings is so shape that the metal displaqed is in the form of four prongs and in so 'forming the opening the -d1s lacedmetal is stretched so ack into its original position as nearl as may be the opem is-very nearly complhtely closed, the spaces the prongs 20 being barely perceptible. as may be inferred from Fig. 3. i One of many eflicient methods of forcing tween is shown a rcvoluble shaft upon the lower 2 end of which is attached-the head upon opposite ends of the arms of which are pivotally supported the vertically disposed arms land 8. The lower end of each arm is provided with a tool steel roller 9, and the up per end of each arm is provided with a cam face 10. normally engaging the surface of the cone-shaped member 11, rotatable with the shaft and reciprocatable thereon. The tool is shown in its normal position with the rollers in contact with the displaced mate-.

rial surrounding the aperture in the can top and by rotating the shaft 5 these rollers rotate about the displaced material and by forcing the cone-shaped cam downwardly on the shaft during such rotation the rollers 9 are gradually forced together under which action the displaced material is gradually rolled back into place.in the opening in practically its original position thereby nearly closing the opening with the exceptioir ofthe practically imperceptible slits between the prongs as is indicated in Fig. 3.- The prongs may also be forced back into position by hand if so desired and when in While I have shown and described the aperture as being formed by displacing material in the shape of four prongs it is to be understood that the material may be cut to form a greater or less number ofprongs or .cut in any. other form suitable for the purpo e, the essential requirement being that the displaced material shall be of such shape and in such condition as to be readily forced into the aperture in substantially its original' position for the purpose described.

The cost of sealing the can herein shown is considerably less than the cost involved in scaling in the usual manner, as not only is the labor cost materially lessened, as all the cans are properly sealed in passing through the soldering apparatus and the labor of inspection and of re-soldering imperfectl sealed cans reduced to a minimum but a saving in material is eli'ccled by reason of the small amount ofeolder required E and that no patch or plug is used to fill the opening prior to the soldering operation.

Having thus briefly described my inveni tioin what I claim and desire to secure by E Letters Patent of the United States is i 1. A method of sealing metal cans consisting in forming a filling aperture by displacing the material to project exterior-1y of the can in the shape of prongs and subsequently forcing the projecting prongs to substantially their original position and soldering them in place. 1

2. A method of sealing metal cans consisting in providing a filling aperture by slitting thematerial to form converging prongs which project exterior-1y of the can in a group surrounding the aperture, and subsequently forcing the projecting prongs to substantially their original converging position and soldering them in place.

3. The method of sealing metal cans consisting in forming a fillingaperture by dis placing the material in a manner to project the aperture and subsequently replaciu fected area with solder.

LA method of sealing metal cans consisting in forming a filling aperture by slitting and displacing the material'in a manner' to project extcriorly of the can circumferenti'ally about the aperture and subsequentlyreplacing the displaced material and securing it in\substantially its original positionby the use of a sealing me iron.

4 5. A method of sealing metal cans consisting in forming a filling aperture by dis placement of the material to project enteriorly of the can circumferentially about the aperture, subsequently, partially closing the aperture by use of the material and completing the closing thereof by the use of a sealing medium.

6. A method of sealing metal cans consist-- ing in forming a filling aperture by displacing the material in a manner to project exteriorly of the can surrounding the aperture,

Subsequently forcing said material into the aperture progressively from the pcriplmny ing it in place.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses,

CHARLES E. ROGERS. Witnesses CHARLES E. Wlsnna, CHARLES A. Romans.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G."

material thus displaced and covering Hm toward the center thereof and then solder exteriorly of the can circumferentially abouts 

